Communication Studies

Question 1

What did Kilner et al. (1999) find?

Answer 1

Investigated how Reed Warbler parents are expolited by the common cuckoo, a brood parasite. Chicks use gape area and begging rate to signal to the parents the extent of food deprivation. The cuckoo exploits these signals, causing the parents to feed it as though it was their own.

Question 2

Marshall (2000)

Answer 2

Reef fishes present the most diverse and stunning array of animal colours anywhere on earth. The functions of these colours and their combinations are to be conspicuousat close range but cryptic at a distance. The reef fishes use a combination of colour and behavious to regulate their conspicuousness and crypsis.

Question 3

Slabbekoorn and Peet (2003)

Answer 3

Cars, planes and machinery create a new selection pressure on wildlife species that use acoustic signals to achieve reproductive success. The study investigated an urban population of great tits and found that noisy territories were home to great-tit males whose songs had a high average minimum frequency. Birds in quiet territories sand more notes that reached lower frequencies. The findings show that human altered environments might change the communication signals of a wild bird species.